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MURRAY — A bar chart of fatal motor vehicle crashes on holiday weekends in Utah tells a story: There tend to be more crashes on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends than any other.
These weekends also happen to be bookends of the 100 deadliest days of the year — late May through early September.
Deadly crashes, according to the Utah's Zero Fatalities highway safety campaign, happen most often on state roads, on clear days and on dry roads.
Most involve Utah residents, and the vast majority occur along I-15 in Salt Lake and Weber counties.
Many of the fatalities could have been prevented if drivers and passengers had worn seat belts or placed children in safety restraints, according to the data.
While teens account for about 15 percent of people killed in motor vehicle crashes, about half of the fatalities involve Utahns ages 25 to 54.
Thus far this year, there have been 78 traffic fatalities in Utah, a slight increase from a year ago.
Holiday weekends are the perfect storm for these crashes, Utah Highway Patrol trooper Jarod Babcock said during a ride-along in Salt Lake County.
There are more people on the road, and they're rushing to get where they're going. On the way home, they're also in a hurry and likely tired after a long weekend of camping, boating, hiking or other outdoor activities.
Add to that the distraction of cellphones, car stereos and squabbling kids, failing to buckle seat belts or driving impaired and the risks climb exponentially.
"The last thing we want is to deal with a tragedy. Dealing with just the accident is bad, but we also have to deal with the family. That is probably the worst thing about this job. … The whole reason for us to go out in high force is to prevent ever having to do that again," Babcock said.
In addition to enforcing traffic safety laws, troopers also work to educate the public about dangerous behaviors that contribute to fatal accidents, such as failing to wear a seat belt.
While driving south on I-15 in Salt Lake County on Thursday afternoon, Babcock pulled over a driver who was not wearing her seat belt.
The woman told Babcock that the seat belt rides up against her neck, "and it hurts."
Babcock used the interaction as an opportunity to educate the woman about aftermarket products that can hold a seat belt in position yet address the issue causing her discomfort. He further explained that it is important to wear seat belts according to manufacturers' instructions because that provides the greatest degree of safety.
It was the woman's first offense of Utah's primary seat belt law so Babcock gave her a warning.
This holiday weekend, UHP and local law enforcement agencies will bump up their staffing to increase patrols statewide.
The goal is to serve the higher-than-usual numbers of people on the roads and address what Zero Fatalities consider the "five deadly driving behaviors" that frequently contribute to fatal accidents in Utah:
• Not buckling up.
• Drowsy driving.
• Distracted driving.
• Aggressive driving.
• Impaired driving.
Sgt. Todd Royce, public information officer for the UHP, said the vast majority of these behaviors — 93 percent — are preventable. In fact, safety experts use the word “accident” sparingly when referring to fatal crashes because there is nothing accidental about failing to wear a seat belt or driving while impaired, he said.
“If you just wear your seat belt, your chances of surviving are so much greater,” Royce said.
It’s not that UHP wants to discourage people from enjoying long holidays, but safety needs to be of utmost concern for drivers, their passengers and other people on the road, he said.
The UHP and local law enforcement plan to staff extra shifts on holiday weekends and on weekends throughout the summer with the hope of “changing those behaviors,” Royce said.
Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, there will be 1,000 extra shifts for DUI enforcement alone.
“They’ll be looking for impaired drivers. That’s all they’re going to be looking for,” Royce said.
